Unsolved

1 Rookie

 • 

1 Message

13

October 29th, 2025 22:16

External monitors fail to wake after sleep — fixed with simple PowerShell task (PB16250)

My two external monitors connected to my Dell Pro 16 Plus PB 16250 suddenly quit working on startup.  I had to unplug the monitors and then plug them in one at a time to get them to work again.  After more than 3 hours with Dell Tech Support, their only solutions were to reinstall the OS or send in my computer for repairs.  I couldn't risk losing documents or having to reinstall of my programs, and I couldn't be without my computer while it was being repaired.  ChatGPT found a simple solution for me that seems to be working (until Microsoft or Intel provide a fix).  Here it is:

Press Win + Ctrl + Shift + B at the same time to see if all external monitors start working.  If so, you can add a simple task to your Task Scheduler at start up to perform this function every time you “wake” your computer.

Here’s what we’ll do next:

  1. In the Windows search bar, type Task Scheduler, then press Enter.
  2. On the right side, click Create Task (not “Basic Task”).
  3. Under the General tab:
    • Name it something like Reconnect Displays.
    • Check Run with highest privileges.
  4. Go to the Triggers tab → click New
    • In “Begin the task,” choose On workstation unlock.
    • Click OK.
  5. Go to the Actions tab → click New
    • In “Program/script,” paste:  powershell.exe
    • In “Add arguments,” paste:  -command "Start-Sleep -Seconds 2; (Get-PnpDevice -Class Display | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq 'OK'} | Restart-PnpDevice -Confirm:$false)"
    • Click OK.
  6. Click OK again to save the task.
    (You may need to enter your Windows password once.)

Now every time your laptop wakes or you unlock it, Windows will automatically “nudge” your graphics driver — exactly like the Win + Ctrl + Shift + B command you just used.

 

No Responses!
No Events found!

Top